Monday, May 5, 2025

Guest Essay | Tina Fredericks: Pasadena USD Board Members Team Up with Hundreds of California School Board Members on Capitol Hill to Protect K-12 Public Education

A delegation of California school board members arrived in Washington D.C. early this week to urge Congress to protect and strengthen K-12 public education, in spite of recent efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. As the only elected officials representing children, school board members are fighting for nearly 6 million K-12 students in the nation’s most populous state.

Considered the great equalizer, public education is a non-partisan issue. California public school districts serve a variety of school districts, from urban to rural, small and large, serving children from diverse communities with a host of political leanings.

On its fourth annual Washington D.C. legislative visit, California School Boards Association (CSBA) and Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) broke its record by turning out 312 California School board members and administrators.  Three Pasadena USD Board members, Tina Fredericks, Scott Harden and Patrice Marshall-McKenzie joined the California delegation. Trustee Fredericks states, “We believe receiving a quality public education is a human right. It’s deeply unAmerican to dismantle this most American of institutions.

Monday, May 5, 2025

Guest Opinion | Chloe Oliveras: AmeriCorps Members Stepped Up for Southern California — It’s Time to Do the Same for Them

By CHLOE OLIVERAS

When wildfires tore through Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Altadena, the damage was swift and unforgiving. Families were displaced. Homes were lost. Schools were shuttered. But amid the smoke and devastation, AmeriCorps members stepped in.

As a former AmeriCorps member and now the Executive Director of Reading Partners Los Angeles, I witnessed firsthand how these service members, in partnership with California Volunteers, mobilized to distribute essential supplies to those affected by the fires. Their work was so impactful that Governor Gavin Newsom visited to personally thank them, honoring their resilience, their compassion, and their commitment to the communities they serve.

Last week, the grants to support these AmeriCorps members were abruptly terminated in Los Angeles and other California communities. It created a ripple effect of damage that now touches not just these service members, but the thousands of students, families, and disaster victims who relied on them.

In Southern California, 28 AmeriCorps members working with Reading Partners are directly affected.

Monday, May 5, 2025

Judge Convenes Case Management Conference in Deadly Eaton Fire Lawsuits Against Edison

Plaintiffs allege utility’s equipment ignited blaze that killed 17, destroyed 9,400 structures

A case management conference is scheduled Tuesday for numerous lawsuits accusing Southern California Edison of responsibility for the devastating January 7, 2025, Eaton Fire that killed 18 people and destroyed approximately 9,400 structures.

The hearing, set for 10 a.m. in Department 17 of the Spring Street Courthouse, will address multiple legal actions filed initially by Jeremy Gursey and joined by hundreds of other plaintiffs who lost their homes in the Altadena blaze.

Plaintiffs contend the wildfire ignited beneath an Southern California Edison transmission tower in Eaton Canyon and rapidly spread through neighboring communities amid wind gusts reaching up to 100 mph.

More than 40 lawsuits representing over 600 residents, along with government entities including Los Angeles County, the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre, and the Pasadena Unified School District, have been filed against the utility.

The lawsuits allege Southern California Edison failed to de-energize its electrical equipment despite repeated National Weather Service warnings about extreme fire danger and high winds.

Monday, May 5, 2025

Warming Trend on Tap for Southern California Later This Week

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Light to moderate drizzle could linger Monday in parts of the West San Gabriel Valley before temperatures begin warming up later this week, forecasters said.

“An unsettled weather pattern will continue into Monday with the possibility of isolated to scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms developing each afternoon and evening,” according to the National Weather Service.

Lowest maximum temperature records were set Sunday in Orange County.

The low in Anaheim was 62, breaking the record of 66 set in 1999. The low in Newport Beach was 59, tying the record set in 1964.

Forecasters said the threat for significant flooding or debris flows is extremely small, with most areas to see 0.10 of an inch of rain or less. Mountain areas could see 0.10 to 0.50 inches.

Snow levels were expected to stay above 6,000 feet.

Most highs were expected to remain in the 60s through Tuesday. Dry weather and a gradual warming trend was expected to begin after that,

Friday, May 2, 2025

Newsom Jabs at Trump and Musk, But will AI Make California More Efficient?

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

Gov. Gavin Newsom staged a news conference in Los Angeles this week to tout the adoption of artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency of state government.

That’s pretty dull stuff, so Newsom goosed its news value by contrasting California’s AI program with President Donald Trump’s slashes of federal services via his Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Newsom’s erstwhile pal, industrialist and inventor Elon Musk.

“I could have easily come in here with sunglasses and chainsaws — you know where I’m going — and gotten your attention,” Newsom told reporters. “We’re DOGE but better.”

He took another potshot at Trump and Musk, saying, “They haven’t come close to the savings they’ve asserted. I think it’s been very damaging.”

Newsom’s remarks on Trump, Musk and DOGE represent his latest political repositioning, from a harsh critic after Trump recaptured the White House, to making nice with Trump as the state sought $40 billion in wildfire recovery grants,

Friday, May 2, 2025

Golf Advocates Donate $30,000 to Pasadena-Area Youth Programs

Golf organization partners with Boys & Girls Club and First Tee to support community recovery following January wildfires

The Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Foundation has donated $30,400 to support fire relief efforts in Altadena following January’s devastating wildfires that struck the community. The donation, announced during an event held at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena on Thursday, May 1, will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena and First Tee – Greater Pasadena.

“This donation reflects the APGA’s commitment to using golf as a platform for change,” said Ken Bentley, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Co-Founder of the APGA. “Our hearts go out to the families impacted by the Altadena fires, and we’re proud to stand with these outstanding youth organizations that are making a difference.”

The donation originated from $9,300 raised through birdies and eagles made during the APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Invitational in January. Matching contributions from Farmers Insurance and Bentley, along with additional support,

Friday, May 2, 2025

Resilience and Unity Take Center Stage at Mayor’s Interfaith Breakfast

By EDDIE RIVERA

Against a backdrop of shared loss and collective strength, hundreds filled a ballroom Thursday morning at the Pasadena Convention Center for the 52nd annual Mayor’s Interfaith Breakfast, hosted by Friends In Deed.

The event, marked by heartfelt prayers, community tributes, and stories of resilience, reflected the deep emotional toll and inspiring response to January’s Eaton Fire, which devastated communities in Pasadena and Altadena.

“Flowers help people bloom,” said Rabbi Joshua Grater, executive director of Friends In Deed, in his opening remarks. He shared the story of how donated flowers from Trader Joe’s, arranged by unhoused women at the nonprofit’s Women’s Room, sparked healing and connection. “Some of these women hadn’t spoken in weeks — and yet through the simple act of arranging flowers, they found community again.”

The Interfaith Breakfast, which drew civic leaders, clergy, first responders, and community members, like many recent events, focused on the theme of resilience — spiritual, emotional, and structural — in the wake of the wildfire that displaced thousands.

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Arizona Man Arrested in Traffic Stop; Three Guns and Meth Seized

A 40-year-old Arizona man was arrested late Wednesday after Pasadena police recovered three firearms — including a “ghost gun” — and approximately 80 grams of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in Altadena, according to Lt. Matt Campeau of the Pasadena Police Department.

Campeau reported that officers observed a vehicle violation near Fair Oaks Avenue and Woodbury Road at about 10:48 p.m. on April 30 and initiated a traffic stop in the area of Fair Oaks Avenue and La Venezia Court in Altadena.

The driver, identified by Lt. Campeau as Tony Sandoval, an Arizona resident, allegedly admitted to possessing the firearm and marijuana, authorities said.

During a search of the vehicle, officers reportedly located a loaded P80 9-millimeter “ghost gun” under the driver’s seat, a Ruger .22-caliber firearm under the gear shift, and a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver in Sandoval’s waistband, Campeau said.

Only the P80 was determined to be a ghost gun, according to Campeau.

In addition to the firearms,

Thursday, May 1, 2025

New App Strikes a Chord for Fire-Impacted Musicians

‘Instrumental Giving’ connects donors with artists who lost gear in the 2025 LA fires

A new app is providing relief to musicians who lost instruments, recording equipment and music collections in the devastating Eaton Fire, offering a digital pathway to recovery and reconnection.

Instrumental Giving, launched on April 26 during a community gathering at A Noise Within Theater in Pasadena, is a registry platform created by Altadena Musicians. The app allows musicians who lost gear in the fires to post “Help Requests,” which donors can browse and fulfill – much like a wedding registry. All donations are tax-deductible.

“Thousands of musicians lost their musical instruments to the LA fires. We are doing something about it,” the Altadena Musicians team announced via a social media post.

Once musicians sign up for the app, they are verified by providing a driver’s license showing they lived in a fire-affected zone, or documentation such as an insurance or FEMA letter proving their loss.

Thursday, May 1, 2025

County Board of Supervisors Set to Review Dozens of County Programs

Regular meeting includes mental health services, marine mammal rescue funding, and 63 other agenda items

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, led by Chair Kathryn Barger (Fifth District), will tackle a packed agenda at their upcoming meeting on Tuesday, May 6, including a long-awaited report on mental health and substance use disorder beds, funding for stranded marine mammals affected by toxic algae blooms, and $47 million in contracts for parking management services.

Set for 11:00 a.m. as the first “Set Matter,” the Board will receive a report from the Director of Mental Health on the Continuum of Care for mental health and substance use disorder beds. This report has been continued from previous meetings held on September 17, December 10, 2024, as well as January 14, January 28, March 18, and April 15, 2025.

Following at 11:30 a.m., the second Set Matter involves a report on the County’s implementation of the people experiencing homelessness missions, though Supervisor Horvath has requested this item be continued to June 3,